It’s been a rough year for Japan, so maybe now more than ever it’s worth reflecting on some of its gifts to the world. Alongside sushi, just-in-time production, instant ramen, first rate autos and electronics, Godzilla, Pokemon and Hello Kitty, there’s great design sense. The Good Design Exhibition currently on at Tokyo Midtown, the shopping/dining/office/entertainment/museum complex that’s a design statement in  its own right, reminds us why.

Read the full story, including an amazing video of a xylophone deep in the forest, at my Forbes Seat 1A blog.